32 ACANTHOPTERYGII. 



3. Lutianus erythropterus, Plate X, figs. 1 (young), 2 (adult). 



Lutianus erythropterus, Bl. t. 249 ; Bl. Schn. p. 325 (not Bleeker). 



Sparus chirtah, Russell, Fish. Vizag. i, p. 74, pi. 93. 



Diacope annularis, Rupp. Atl. p. 91, and N. W. Fische, p. 74, pi. 93 ; Klunz. Fische Roth. Meer. Verb, 

 z. b. Ges. in Wien. 1870, p. 697. 



? Diacope erytlirina, Rupp. 1ST. W. Fische, p. 92, t. 25, f. 3; Klunz. Fische Roth. Meer. Verb. z. b. Ges. in 

 Wien. 1870, p. 702. 



Diacope sanguinea, (Ehren.) Cut. and Val. ii, p. 437 (adult). 



Mesoprion rubellus, Cuv. and Val. ii, p. 475. 



Mesoprion erythropterus, Cuv. and Val. ii, p. 478. 



Mesoprion annularis, Cuv. and Val. ii, p. 488, and iii, p. 497 : Quoy and Gaim. Voy. Astr. p. 666, pi. 5, 

 fig. 4 ; Richards. Ich. China, p. 229 ; Bleeker, Perc. p. 67 ; Cantor, Catal. p. 14 ; Giinther, Catal. i, p. 204 ; 

 Kner. Novara Fische, p. 33. 



Diacope metallicus, (Kuhl. and v. Hass.) Bleeker, Batav. p. 525. 



Mesoprion sanguineus, Bleeker, Perc. p. 48. ,. 



Mesoprion erythrinus, Giinther, Catal. i, p. 192 ; Playfair, Proc. Zool. Soc. 1867, p. 849. 



Mesoprion chirtah, Day, Proc. Zool. Soc. 1868, p. 150, and 1869, p. 297. 



Lutjanus annularis, Bleeker, Obi. p. 240. 



Lutjanus chirtah, Bleeker, Atl. Ich. Perc. t. xxiii, fig. 1, and Lutjani, p. 42. 



Soosta, Ooriah. 



B. vii, D. t^Vst, P- l* 7 , V. 1/5, A. f, C. 17, L. 1. 52-55, L. r. |£, L. tr. 11-12/25, Case. pyl. 5-6, Vert. 10/14. 



Length of head 3f to 3f , of caudal 1/5 to 1/6, height of body from 2| to 3J in the total length. Eyes — ■ 

 diameter 1/5 to 1/6 of the length of the head in the adult, but much larger in the young,* 1| to 2 diameters from 

 end of snout, and If to 1| apart. Body compressed, dorsal profile more convex than that of the abdomen, and 

 slightly concave about the orbit. The maxilla, in the adult, scarcely reaches to below the front edge of the 

 orbit. Preopercle with a very shallow emargination on its vertical limb which is finely and evenly serrated to 

 above its angle where the serrations become coarser, they extend for a short distance along its horizontal border : 

 sometimes a very small interopercular knob exists. Teeth — one or two canines on either side of the premaxillary, 

 an outer row of curved canine-like teeth in either jaw, villiform ones in a triangular patch on the vomer, and in 

 a rather narrow band on the palatines : none on the tongue. Fins — dorsal spines of moderate strength increasing 

 in length to the fourth which equals two-fifths to one-third of the height of the body, from it to the 

 last they are slightly lower and sub-equal in length, the soft portion of the fin more angular in the adult 

 than in the young, the seventh to the tenth rays being the highest, half as long again as the fourth spine, and 

 their height equalling the length of the base of the soft portion of the fin. Pectoral reaching as far as the 

 ventral, and equalling the length of the head behind the posterior nostril : ventral spine as long as the fourth of 

 the dorsal fin : second anal spine somewhat the strongest, but not quite so long as the third which equals the 

 third of the dorsal fin : caudal slightly emarginate or cut square in the young. Scales — in somewhat tortuous 

 rows going in a direction upwards and backwards, they extend over the base of the dorsal fin reaching highest 

 on the rays, they are equally developed over the bases of the caudal and anal. Colours — crimson with orange 

 reflections : a broad blackish band passes from the eye to the commencement of the dorsal spines, and is 

 sometimes slightly apparent along the whole base of the fin : eight to twelve narrow and nearly horizontal black 

 .lines exist below the lateral-line, and several more above it, some being the continuations of those which 

 commence below the lateral-line. A black band crosses the back over the free portion of the tail, having a white 

 .one before it, and a narrow pink one posterior to it. Pectoral flesh-coloured : ventral either black or stained 

 black in its outer half or two-thirds : dorsal dark grey in some specimens with a nearly black base and a black 

 edge : caudal pink with a narrow black border : anal darkest anteriorly. In adults (12 inches) the black lines 

 disappear, and each row of scales has a golden line : a trace exists of the band from the eye to the dorsal fin : 

 whilst that over the free portion of the tail is somewhat indistinct. 



Amongst Bloch's typical collection in the Berlin Museum, Professor Peters showed me two of this species, 

 one being young with the distinct colours of the annularis.; the other more adult. Bleeker considers the 

 erythropterus of Bloch to be identical with L. lineolatus, and certainly the body and fins in the figure appear more 

 to resemble that species than the present : the head, (especially the eyes,) differs considerably from the lineolatus. 

 The type specimens have their original names upon them. 



Although Ruppell's figure of Diacope erytlirina very closely resembles an adult of this species, he states 

 it to have only 10 dorsal spines. Col. Playfair obtained a " fine specimen" now in the British Museum, termed 

 erythrinus, which is the adult of this species, but it has 11 dorsal spines, it is nearly 18 inches long, and the eye 

 is 5| in the length of the head. 



In the Berlin Museum is a fine specimen (21 inches in length) of Diacope sanguinea, (Ehren.) Cuv. and 



* The following are the measurements as to the size of the eye compared with the length of the head in specimens of various ages: 

 At 6 inches in length, 3J in the length of the head. 

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